Agápe - Unconditional Love
by Flakeblood
Summary: ἀγάπη means "love: esp. charity; the love of God for man and of man for a good God." Agape is used to denote feelings for one's children and the feelings for a spouse. It embraces a universal, unconditional love that transcends and persists regardless of circumstance. Explores the relationship between Sora and Riku after their second adventure, having finally found each other.


This is part of the series of fics I wanted up for Valentine's Day, but you know! I hope I'm understanding all these different concepts for love, because I do not study ancient Greek philosophy. ^^;

* * *

Riku leaned back, his hair waving in the salty breeze and catching on the rough bark of the paopu tree. Soft yellows and pinks filled the sky, a hint of deep garnet-red stretching along the bottom of the horizon. A few seagulls coming into land for the night called each other in the air.

Riku took a deep breath and sighed. There was no where else he would rather be that this very moment.

No other worlds called his name as sweetly as this one, no other environments soothed his senses like the soft light bathing him here, and no other person made his heart feel as full as the one tugging fingers through his tangled locks. He heard a frustrated noise from his side and could only smile.

"How did you let it get so long?"

Riku snickered at the lamenting voice. "You're right, I should have asked Mickey for a haircut while we wandered."

Laughter. Riku turned his head, ignoring the little pinpricks of pain, to see the person sitting there: his friend, the one he was closest to, even after their recent patchy history.

Sora.

Even thinking the name sent a warmth through Riku, like being wrapped in a thick blanket during the winter. His face was twisted in a way which put clear laughter around his eyes, his mouth held in a firm line.

"Could you have?" Sora asked, holding back amusement. "What would that have ended up like, anyway? I mean, he doesn't grow hair?"

Riku shrugged, not holding back his own amusement. "Then I guess I should just let a heartless cut it next time."

"No way!" Sora laughed, shoving playfully at Riku's shoulder now, and Riku laughed with him.

As they settled back, Riku fell into thought again. The atmosphere between them, it felt like it hadn't changed at all. A little over a year ago, they had been enemies, or at least Riku had acted like it. Now… now Sora ran careful, if sometimes clumsy, fingers through his hair. He hummed as they watched the sunset and joked around like no time had passed at all; As though nothing had changed. But it had, hadn't it?

Riku couldn't remember the last time they had sat quietly together. Riku had gotten steadily more competitive, and their interactions had consisted of challenges, whether physical or verbal. The teasing was playful, but… but maybe he had started losing his way long before the door on the islands had ever opened.

"Hey Sora," Riku said, before he even realized he'd even opened his mouth.

"Hm? What is it?"

Riku went to deflect, to say it was nothing, but Sora's fingers scratched his scalp in just the right way, and he found the words tumbling out. "Why did you… look for me?"

Sora's movements paused for only a moment, but didn't stop. "What do you mean?"

He sounded so genuinely confused, Riku wasn't sure he'd be able to explain it properly.

"You'd seen what happened. To me. What I did, what I could do. I…"

"That wasn't you Riku, you know that."

"It was," Riku insisted. "For a while, it was. It was my own darkness, my own decisions. I was selfish, and reckless, and jealous. I hadn't made up for anything at the end, but you, you set out to look for me anyway. Why did you…?"

He swallowed.

Sora slipped off the tree, standing now in front of Riku, and took his hands. He squeezed them as he had when he'd first figured it out, when they were reunited after a year. He held them like he was afraid to let Riku go.

"Of course I did." His words were slow, held so much weight that Riku found it hard to look into his eyes. "I always will."

Riku didn't say anything. He had been right, he wasn't sure how to explain his thoughts, his doubts about himself, lingering still, even after trying so hard to leave them behind.

Sora smiled, head tilted. "You don't have to do anything special. You're Riku. Of course I'd find you. That's what you do when someone's lost."

Had it been anyone else, Riku was sure it wouldn't have come out nearly so sincere. But Sora's conviction shone out of him the way the light of his heart burned bright.

"That simple, huh?" he said, a wry tone to his voice.

"Yup!" Sora squeezed again, and looked right into his eyes. "You're really strong Riku. If anyone could make it back from the darkness, I knew it would be you. And I had to be there for you when you did."

Riku had to turn his head to the side, looking at the burning orange of the sun as an excuse for the moisture in his eyes. "Says the guy who slept for a whole year while I looked out for him," he teased.

Sora squawked and took back a hand to rub at the back of his head. "Hey that-! W-well."

Riku shook his head and bumped shoulders with Sora. Sora bumped his hips back.

"...Thanks," Riku said softly.

Sora's eyes curved from the power of his joy.

"But don't you dare fall asleep on me again."

"One time!" Sora complained.

* * *

I don't think there's a better example of this type of love that between these two. After the first game of betrayal, and the catastrophe of events in CoM, they spend most of their time looking for/looking out for each other. Riku continues this into DDD, and Riku continues to be the person Sora is most concerned for/happy to see.

I couldn't think of a relationship more obviously unconditional than that.

But hey, maybe you can think of another? Lemme know, I'm happy to hear people get excited about things. ^^


End file.
